Act now on ageing workforce

Organisations should act now to tackle the challenges of demographic change, according to HR consultancy Talentsmoothie.

It is now offering its report on the ageing workforce as a free download. The Ageing Workforce – What’s Your Strategy? which originally cost £345, highlights the demographic challenge facing employers and includes case studies from Barclays Wealth, BMW, Coursera, GSK, Sodexo and Vita Needle.

Justine James, the report’s author, said: “Eight out of 10 organisations are not planning any policy changes to recruit, retain and engage older workers. This is despite estimations there will be 13.5 million job vacancies by 2022, but only 7 million school and college leavers.”

She added: “Older workers are the main untapped source of hidden labour talent, but most organisations aren’t equipped to recruit and retain them. This has to change given the predicted future skills shortages and the proven business benefits older workers offer. Having a generationally diverse workforce encourages diversity of thought and can potentially mirror an organisation’s customer base.”